Sharks’ flyhalf focus a boon for Boks
19 Jan 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes the Springboks will reap the benefits of the Sharks’ decision to back Pat Lambie in the all-important flyhalf position.
While the speculation around the Bok coach position continues to escalate to hysterical proportions, keo.co.za’s information is that the position has been confirmed for some time. Gert Smal will be announced as Peter de Villiers’s successor next Friday, and among the many tasks he will be entrusted with will be the decision of who to select at flyhalf for the three-Test series against England in June.
Smal will finish his stint with the Ireland national side in early March, and will then turn his focus to Super Rugby and the composition of the Bok side. He will possess a good understanding of what has worked for South Africa in the past, and also what has not. There are many candidates both experienced and unestablished that will be pushing for that No 10 jersey this season, but what should please the Bok coach is that one of the strongest candidates will concentrate on one position for the majority of Super Rugby tournament.
Lambie has been used in several positions for both the Sharks and Boks. He started his career in Durban as a fullback in 2010 before shifting to centre and later flyhalf. It was in the latter position where he made the most impact, leading the Sharks to a resounding victory over Western Province in the 2010 Currie Cup final.
De Villiers experimented with Lambie as a flyhalf at international level, but was always going to favour one of Morne Steyn or Butch James for the 2011 World Cup. Steyn eventually got the nod despite his limitations on attack and defence, as De Villiers felt that a goal-kicking boot would be decisive. But the quarter-final was won by Australia thanks in large part to their brilliant defence. The All Blacks would later win the title in a similar manner, and the missed goal-kicks in that final against France didn’t end up costing them the cup.
That’s not to say that goal-kicking won’t be important going forward or that indeed Lambie doesn’t have the ability or the mettle to be a success. He showed during the early stages of the 2011 Super Rugby tournament just how much he’s progressed in this department. Given more opportunities, he will continue to develop and that can only benefit the Boks.
With Freddie Michalak targeting a move back to France in the near future, the Sharks have finally decided to hand Lambie the ultimate responsibility. Aside from goal-kicking, he will be tasked with organising the Sharks’ backs and controlling the game. His performance in the coming Super Rugby competition will be important in that it will show Smal and the Bok selectors whether he can be a sustained force in the position.
There will be other candidates for Smal to consider. Elton Jantjies will have plenty to prove after a dismal start to Super Rugby in 2011. He may have shone in the subsequent Currie Cup, but it is in the southern hemisphere’s premier regional tournament where potential internationals are measured.
After a successful Currie Cup, Lions coach John Mitchell will back Jantjies in that flyhalf role and this will allow him the platform to impress the Bok coach. Similarly, Lambie will now be granted an extended run at No 10.
Steyn is set to spearhead a new-look Bulls backline. His goal- and tactical-kicking remains among the best on the planet, but if he cannot improve his defence and attack then he has no place in the Bok side of 2012. It won’t be easy considering the Bulls have lost a whole host of established forwards, and Steyn has in the past battled to impose himself when his pack is going backward.
At this stage Lambie would appear to be the best option, but the coach is unlikely to make his decision until we are well into the Super Rugby competition. The important thing at this point is that Lambie will be given an extended opportunity, as will Jantjies and several others, to prove himself.
381 Comments
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19 Jan 2012, 17:16 pm
@Transformation-294:
will do!
Now say sorry to Morne……..
19 Jan 2012, 17:16 pm
@>^..^< katman-299:
He pretended he was a submarine and concentrated so hard on deploying his periscope that he accidentally flooded his tube and fired a torpedo.
19 Jan 2012, 17:17 pm
@Mr Black-301: sorry, on keo?
hehehe
19 Jan 2012, 17:20 pm
handbags..?..
19 Jan 2012, 17:21 pm
@Transformation-303:
Ok, cant argue that point.
19 Jan 2012, 17:22 pm
@WP Till I Die-302: I commend his commitment though. Most people would have given up on that last lap. Not our ET. He’s the aquatic equivalent of this oke: http://skinnyrunner.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/runner-poop-pants.jpg
19 Jan 2012, 17:24 pm
@>^..^< katman-306:
Now this is what I call commitment.
19 Jan 2012, 17:25 pm
@Treehugger-286: those muddfukking ja p ba star ds injured my mate hugs.
they fekking threw a grappling hook at him.
fuckers.
i hope their boat sinks.
19 Jan 2012, 17:25 pm
“Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”
19 Jan 2012, 17:28 pm
now i will have to buy him beers and listen to his endless stories of “when i was in the antarctic fighting whalers..”
http://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/sa-man-hurt-in-whaler-tussle-1.1215907
theres the link for anyone interested.
ag i am joking, a brave man and a good cause, proud to know the guy.
19 Jan 2012, 17:31 pm
One thing is for sure though, Extrabollock’s lap times improved significantly after deploying his brown shark.
19 Jan 2012, 17:49 pm
Spend the day earning a decent living, cleansing your soul and firming your fists up in the orange plantations and the cowardly Jack Russell’s yap away at you in abstencia, I see.
Pakis made my day though…. Belly, Trotty, Cookey, Broadey, Swanney and the boys blown away… bewtiful!
19 Jan 2012, 17:52 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-278: Woprker boots are cool.
I still have a pair or two from my “Soundgarden” days.
The cowboy boots was in reference to a (probably) at least 15 year old advert for the “new’ (then) Toyota bakkie called the “raider”
Guy dived up to the farm. Gets out. Farmer walks towards the bakkie and says in his thick afrikaans accent:
“Rrrrrrrrrraiderrrrrrr”. What kind of a name is that for a bakkie? next you’ll be wearing cowboy boots,
Driver surreptitiously moves behind the bakkie for cover. Looks down at his feet. He’s wearing cowboy boots.
Classic advert.
I still quote the line as you have just seen.
19 Jan 2012, 17:53 pm
dived = drives
19 Jan 2012, 17:55 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther-311: We all know black okes can’t swim.
ET is full of it. He’s no more a swimmer than a doctor.
19 Jan 2012, 18:00 pm
Okay folks SARU released an official statement asking to ignore the Rassie speculation – they have also stated that they seek an explanation from Gallo Images who started the whole thing – Rassie himself also confirmed there is no truth in it. So as your were so to speak…
I just know someone at Gallo is going to lose their job!
19 Jan 2012, 18:01 pm
Shiver me timbers stormersahoy.
Captain Extraball won’t like that one bit.
Prepare to be boarded.
19 Jan 2012, 18:05 pm
@Morné-316: must be true though…unless a really sick stupid prank?
19 Jan 2012, 18:05 pm
@Morné-316:
Is it true that Morne = Pissant.
If so, why the change? Pissant has a nice ring to it
19 Jan 2012, 18:06 pm
Div: SARU too late with decision
Johannesburg – Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says the SA Rugby Union (SARU) left the appointment of the new national coach too late.
De Villiers’s contract was extended until the end of January while SARU completed the process of finding his replacement.
“It is already too late for the coach to sit down with the Super Rugby coaches,” De Villiers said on Thursday.
“The appointment should have been made in December because we didn’t have an overseas tour this time.”
He said the new Bok coach would not have enough time with the team before the start of the three-match Test series against England.
The Super Rugby season will recess for the June international matches, with the Boks playing the English Roses a week after a gruelling weekend of local derby matches.
Speculation about his replacement had been rife in recent weeks. No formal shortlist had been made public.
SARU, however, last year confirmed De Villiers was on the shortlist, while Bulls director of rugby Heyneke Meyer and Ireland forwards coach Gert Smal were touted as favourites.
De Villiers confirmed a meeting with SARU CEO Jurie Roux on Monday where they “spoke about this and that”, adding that he did not know whether he was a candidate for the job or not.
While doubting whether SARU had any interest in him, he said he was open to take the reins in a caretaker capacity.
“There is always a bigger picture and one should not be egotistical. It will always be an honour to make a contribution,” De Villiers said.
De Villiers, however, said SARU pulled the rug from under his feet with the extension of his contract.
“Now there isn’t any other work out there. Perhaps it would be better to say that they would no longer be making use of my services. It creates certain expectations,” he said.
The Bok mentor said there were no regrets in his tenure as national coach, which spanned four seasons.
“Hours of planning and consultation went into the job… .I can say with complete sincerity that every single decision I have made in the last four years has been a rugby one.
“That is why it has been easy for me to make them without any agendas. It is true that one doesn’t always make the right decisions, but I have taken responsibility for it.
“You can’t satisfy everybody, but I can keep my head high as I haven’t enriched myself.”
De Villiers felt the amount of talent he had brought through was a feather in his cap, with players like Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira, Zane Kirchner, Heinrich Brüssow, Francois Hougaard, Andries Bekker and Morné Steyn making their debuts under him.
“If I can give one medal to myself, it is the one for giving young talent the opportunity, who will now make the core of the team for the future.”
De Villiers said the Super Rugby recess would give the new coach a different challenge as it was a crucial stage of the cross-continental competition.
He said if the franchises stood a chance of advancing to the playoffs they would be reluctant to release their players to the Springbok team.
De Villiers suggested that injuries could easily be feigned to keep the players out of the June internationals.
He also felt the franchises held too much power and had made life difficult for him.
19 Jan 2012, 18:06 pm
@rangerman-308: I know, I was looking for you online earlier this morning to let you know the j*ps nailed him with a grappling hook, They were throwing them at the rubber digys, tosserssssssssssss.
19 Jan 2012, 18:08 pm
@grant10-318:
It came off the back of a Rapport article over the weekend where they speculated Rassie will be in the mix – the images for that interview was taken by Gallo. Then some dude at Gallo today stated it as fact and the phones went off the hook!
@Bod-319:
It is dude, I must just get to the dashboard again and change it – I must say it is quite strange seeing this name with posts on this blog…!
19 Jan 2012, 18:08 pm
@stormersboy-315: oh feckkkkk you going to get now…….
19 Jan 2012, 18:09 pm
@Treehugger-321: oh didnt know it had made the local papers.
19 Jan 2012, 18:15 pm
@Morné-322:
Vale… for a moment I thought you were trying to reform from those days of lunch time braai’s in Namibia with a crate of beers next to the coals… hence losing the rather apt nic.
Stick with it!
19 Jan 2012, 18:25 pm
@Bod-325:
Done!
It’s just not the same, I agree – too many memories associated with the nick.
19 Jan 2012, 18:40 pm
@PissAnt-326:
Welcome back PA.
19 Jan 2012, 19:20 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther-317:
Boarded? More like bored. We’ll have to sit through a long winded post about SCIENCE and RACISTS and stuff like that.
Yawn.
@Treehugger-323: ET couldn’t “give” if his life depended on it,
He’s a taker is our Doctor Do-litlle.
The less spoken about him the better.
19 Jan 2012, 19:22 pm
@PissAnt-326: You had me guessing for a while there with the whole Morne thing.
I was just warming to it, like Beyonce, or Prince…..
19 Jan 2012, 19:26 pm
@Mr Black-327:
Thanks!
@stormersboy-329:
19 Jan 2012, 19:33 pm
Don’t you people ever work
19 Jan 2012, 19:36 pm
@Dawn-331:
Not much no.
19 Jan 2012, 19:42 pm
I want a job where I can blog all day
19 Jan 2012, 19:53 pm
@Dawn-331: I never call what I do “work”
It’s a passion
19 Jan 2012, 20:10 pm
@Dawn-331: who is ‘you people’ uyasiqhela?
19 Jan 2012, 20:49 pm
You people. Youse.
19 Jan 2012, 20:57 pm
Morne Steyn had an acting bit part in The Wild this evening …wtf…lol… as bad as Kobus Wiese as a thug in Robin Hood while was in France
19 Jan 2012, 21:05 pm
Julle mense wat blog whole day. You know!
19 Jan 2012, 21:10 pm
We so busy we can’t move our gatte!
19 Jan 2012, 22:09 pm
So much coziness…
Farkenell
20 Jan 2012, 00:47 am
Ok. What I read sovar
AC said no
Small is with the drinkers until after 6 nations
Heineke with bulls
Rassie nowhere
And Div maybe 6 months extension
Man I love SA rugby
20 Jan 2012, 01:51 am
One last thing
Sharks will be the best SA team (sharks academy now sposers this site)
Gert Smal WILL get the job
EP kings are the best (sorry Tramsie)
Pat Lambie is our no 10
The Lions are bankrupt
The Stormers are the best team this decade
The Stormers are the most popular team
The Roses will be a walkovers
20 Jan 2012, 01:57 am
@Atlas-342: you are getting delusional go to bed.
20 Jan 2012, 02:09 am
7 days to go
NO MORE SPIES……………………NO MORE MORNE
WE GOT RIDOF PLOD SO NO MEYER
BRING IN MY BOYFRIEND LUKE
You like the old AMtracks? Becouse I can go on and on…..
BRING BACK MY BOYFRIEND LUKE
20 Jan 2012, 02:18 am
@Transformation-343: sorry but you used a word the OP Kings use every day
20 Jan 2012, 02:23 am
WE NEED A CLEAN SLATE
SORRY CAPS
20 Jan 2012, 02:47 am
While I,m alone I can just aswell say exemt the cool NZlander, I am exstreemly proud to be RsAfrican during the WC. We were cool and we got along. Poops convince me abouit the Blues one evening last year.ek wens ek kon die selfde doen met my span
20 Jan 2012, 03:10 am
Woeever wins the SA side of things will go a lang way
I think there will be two teams
Keo pushess for Sharks and his babies Stor$mers
I am the class half empty when it comes to those 2 teams
20 Jan 2012, 03:24 am
I,M gonna use
20 Jan 2012, 03:31 am
Or. ::)
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